The last term at school brought with it the excitement of graduation, some bitter-sweet feelings of leaving the school, the pressure of job search and in my case – three evening classes. Now that might have been a lot easier had these classes been in College Park, but the fact that I need to travel to DC during the rush hour in order to get there in time makes my trips exciting. But I try to make good use of it while commuting; finish my readings and assignments for the class, read the news or a book, straighten my thoughts, observe some weird person in the metro, catch up on my sleep or eat the dinner on my way back – “I have been given the gift of time”.

I knew what I was signing up for; three evening classes in a week could be tough to manage. But I really wanted to take the courses and this was the only opportunity I had. Each of these three electives (Service Marketing, Business to Business Marketing and Implementing Strategy) are taught by very experienced professors and discusses useful frameworks and tactics that could be the key for success in any business. Another thing I like about the evening class is that there are a lot of part time students who always have a lot to contribute to the discussion. And then it always helps to network with them, as they are usually aware of opportunities that may not be posted online and may not otherwise be known.

I missed a few MBA events because of the conflict with my evening classes, and I had to skip a couple of classes to attend the events I really wanted to. But again, that is part of an MBA program and you need to be good at prioritizing such stuff to get the maximum out of it. Meanwhile, I can enjoy the last few classes I am left with. It’s hard to imagine that in a few weeks, it will be time for caps and gowns, farewells and good-byes, and more importantly stepping back into the outside world with new aspirations.

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Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, MS, PhD, and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Find out more at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu